Forgiven Crimes
by shadowluminus
Summary: Thieves aren't always sinners. Princesses aren't always royals. Just because that's who you are doesn't mean it's who you really are. So if a wanted thief and a wanted princess fall in love, is it still considered forbidden?
1. Prologue

**Forgiven Crimes**

 **Prologue**

Travis had only one person in his family, and that was his brother, Connor. Their parents had abandoned them at a young age, and they could barely even remember them, but it doesn't matter. The Stolls were happy enough without their parents.

Sure, life wasn't exactly easy on the streets. There will forever be the fear of dying of hunger, cold, or disease, but so far, they've managed. In fact, they have risen to the top.

Travis and Connor Stoll had been known as 'the magic thieves', and it was obvious how they got that name: They were master stealers.

They were so skilled in their 'career', in fact, that they were able to take a ring off your finger, or an earring off your ear.

They could steal anything.

And so, they became the most wanted thieves in the kingdom, or maybe even the world.

What the brothers didn't realize was how dangerous the hunters could be. Before, it had seemed like a simple and amusing feat to just simply outrun them; but now, it's not like that.

The Stolls were fast, so naturally, you would ask why?

Well, the hunters had horses, idiot, but the Stolls didn't. And for your information, stealing horses aren't exactly easy, since horses are sensitive creatures and could bolt if they don't recognize you. You have to learn to tell what horses are gentle and quiet and are less likely to kick you in the face then take off running and what not, but obviously, the Stolls hadn't bothered to learn such thing.

Travis was beginning to panic. The hunters are drawing considerably closer very quickly, and their swords look pretty sharp. But even though he's getting tired, he didn't slow down. Being impaled or getting captured isn't part of Travis's To-do List.

Connor was running next to him, but was tiring quicker, since he was younger but Travis continued to pull at him, urging him to go faster.

It was all in vain.

The hunters were in attacking distance now, and they began swinging their swords around. Travis vaguely wondered if they actually knew how to use the thing and how it's a waste of perfectly good metal to make a sword for such failures of swordsmen, but he forced himself not to get distracted by the thought. It wasn't worth it.

It was then, did everything begin.

Travis ducked a sword that had nearly decapitated him, stumbled, and continued running. But behind him, there was a sickening crunch as the sword found another target.

Travis turned around for a second to see his brother, his only family, falling to the ground, a shocked expression on his face. Blood was spraying out of the wound on his neck.

When Travis had seen Connor fall he did the only thing he could at the moment. He ran.

He continued to run, pushing himself faster, trying to shake away the numbness that was slowing him down. He prayed to all the gods and deities he knew. He prayed for strength, for endurance, for what that happened to be just a dream.

The gods answered, but only half of his wish.

The sound of the horses' hooves was lost in the distance behind him, but the whole situation wasn't a dream.

Finally, the numbness and pain of loss caught up with him, and he stumbled, falling face-first into a stream.

The cold water awakened his senses, stinging his small injuries. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and trudged out of the water, into the sunlight. For a while, he just simply stared into space, silently mourning for his brother. Then, when his head had completely cleared, he looked around, finding himself in a large clearing. Some distance in front of him was a flowerbed and resting in the flowerbed, with butterflies fluttering around her and the sun turning her skin light gold, was the most beautiful thing Travis had ever seen in his life.

It was a girl.


	2. Temporary Truce

**I**

"Psst!" Travis hissed at the girl. "Wake up!"

She didn't even stir.

Hesitantly, he poked her cheek with a finger, then quickly withdrew his hand. Her skin was so soft he thought it would break. Her hair was loose and was a light chocolate brown, seemingly gold under the sunlight. Her lashes were long, her body curved and elegant. Needless to say, she was very pretty.

Not only that, her face was smeared with dirt, her hair tangled, her dress was in tatters, and she was missing a shoe. Beautiful.

"Hey," Travis continued trying to wake the girl, "Um… Hello?" He knocked on her forehead somewhat cautiously, as if he's afraid she'd suddenly wake up and bite off his hand.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. For a moment, everything was silent as the girl and Travis stared at each other. Then, she screamed right next to his ear, causing him to shout in pain and stumble back, clutching his ears. The girl sprung up from where she lay in the flowers and snatched up a long stick that had been hidden in the flowers next to her. She stood there, the stick poised to attack, gasping for breath, her eyes wide as she tried to glare down Travis.

"Whoever you are," she panted, trying to sound menacing, "leave or else I'll impale you. Don't you dare take another step!" she added shrilly when Travis took a step forward. He quickly put his hands up in surrender. The stick didn't look like much but he was sure that it'd still hurt if it hits him.

"I come in peace," he said slowly. "My name is Travis Stoll, and I-"

"You're Travis Stoll?" the girl interrupted. "Why did I seem to hear that-"

"Shh!" Travis suddenly hushed her, freezing. Vaguely, he could hear 'the sound of footsteps crashing their way through the forest towards them.

"Did you hear that?" a loud voice cut through the air. "It sounded like a banshee."

The girl flushed red.

"Somebody was screaming," the voice continued. "Maybe we're getting close to something. Keep tracking!"

 _Hunters,_ Travis mouthed to the girl, who nodded, looking frightened.

"We've got to hide!" she hissed and the two of them looked around desperately. For a scary moment, they couldn't find anything to hide in; then Travis ran to the nearest tree and began climbing. The girl followed him, struggling. Her shoe fell off during her painfully slow process of climbing the tree and her dress was ripped even more. Just as she settled wobbly in a branch, three hunters emerged, carrying wicked looking swords.

"That scream sounded like a girl's," a person with oily black hair, beady brown eyes and crooked yellow teeth was saying.

"Then maybe it's that princess- the daughter of that overthrown emperor," the voice Travis had heard at first said. It belonged to a short but sturdy man with wild red hair and beard with an ax in his hand. He looks just like a dwarf.

The last hunter, a tall man with brown skin, dirty blonde hair and a long face, grinned greedily. "That girl is worth a lot. And quite beautiful too, from what I've heard."

Travis spared a chance at the girl next to him, who was frozen there in fear, her face pale and her forehead beaded with sweat.

"What's her name again?" Crooked teeth asked, grinning as well.

Dwarf answered him, "Katie… Garden or something. Gardener? Gardner, that's it!"

Long face laughed. "When we catch her, I'd ask the authorities if I may keep her. She'd be fun to play with."

Now the girl looked green. Travis was afraid she'd throw up and reveal their location to the hunters. If she does, they're all dead. They're trapped on a tree- there's nowhere to run.

"Hey, what's this?" Dwarf spoke up gleefully, bending over to pick up something from the ground below the tree where Travis and the girl (who still looks like she's sick) were perched. He held it up for his fellow hunters to see. It was a shoe. More specifically, it was the girl's shoe.

Travis held in his breath, praying, _'Don't look up, don't look up…'_

Slowly, Dwarf took a step forward. He's now right under the tree…

 _'Don't look up, don't look up…'_

He put his hand on the trunk of the tree and sniffed the air like a dog.

 _'Don't look up, don't look up…'_

Dwarf didn't look up.

The three hunters strolled away, still holding the girl's shoe. When Travis was completely sure they had gone, he climbed slowly and silently out of the tree, dropping to the ground with a muffled _thump!_

The girl also climbed down the tree.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Then, Travis said, "So… you're Katie Gardner?"

The girl, who's apparently a princess, nodded and looked away.

"You're the daughter of that tyrant who was overthrown just over a year ago? The tyrant who killed a bunch of people?" He hadn't meant to sound accusing and Travis winced at the harshness of his own voice.

Katie took the tone as an offense. "Well, you're not one to talk, _Stoll_ ," she spat. "A wanted thief, eh? I wouldn't be surprised if you had killed someone as well. Where's your precious brother? Abandoned him to get the fame all to yourself?"

Oh no, she did not just say that.

"Don't you dare say that!" Travis yelled. "I would never abandon Connor!"

"You idiot!" Katie hissed. "You're an utter fool. The hunters might hear you! Honestly, what did I ever do to the devils to deserve to meet a nuisance like you?"

"Using big words now?" he sneered. "Showing off all your _royal education_?"

She scoffed. "For your information, 'nuisance' can hardly be considered a big word. It's your own fault you've never gotten any education. Maybe if you've even tried to learn-"

"Oh, so now everything is my fault?" Travis growled. "So it's my fault my parents abandoned Connor and me onto the streets before we could even _remember_ them? So it's my fault that we are being hunted down for trying to survive, to live, with barely enough money to last us a week, let alone go to school? So it's my fault my brother was killed by the hunters just earlier today?"

He had ended up yelling and now Katie was staring at him with wide eyes, her hand clamped over her mouth.

"It's not my fault not everyone had a perfect, carefree life like you, _your Highness_ ," he spat before spinning around and storming away.

"Travis!" Katie called after him guiltily. "Travis, I'm sorry." She hurried up to him putting a hand on his shoulder, trying to make him stop. He shrugged her hand off angrily.

"Travis Stoll, turn around and listen to me!" Katie finally yelled, grabbing his collar and yanking him back.

He turned and glared at her angrily while rubbing his neck. "What do you want?"

Katie ignored his question and said, "You're a wanted thief-"

"Tell me something I don't know," said thief muttered.

She continued to ignore him and continued, "And you are one of the stupidest people I've ever met-"

"Are you trying to apologize?" Travis interrupted. "Because if you are, you're not doing a very good job."

"Let me finish!" Katie punched his arm. It hurt more than he expected. "Anyways, even though you're life was on the line, you didn't leave me in mercy of the hunters. You saved my life, so I thank you for that."

Travis's angry expression softened and he shrugged, "It's no biggie. After all, it turns out that we're not much different. We're both being hunted. We're both trying to survive."

She smiled softly. "Temporary truce?" she suggested, holding out a hand for him to shake.

Smiling as well, Travis shook her hand. "Temporary truce."

 **Thanks for the reviews! I might not be able to update, however. I'm moving to England...**


	3. Murder

**II**

"Are you really, REALLY sure you're okay?" Travis raised an eyebrow at Katie, who doubled over, coughing violently. She emerged for a few seconds to nod and say, "Of course," before she went into a coughing fit again.

Travis shrugged. "Well, you just don't seem fine to me. You've been coughing for…" he pulled out a gold pocket-watch out of his chest pocket and checked the time. "Nine hours already."

Katie frowned, though it turned out more like a grimace as she tried to hold down her coughs. "What time is it?"

Travis checked the time again, this time squinting at the watch. "Um… 4:55…"

"Are you an idiot? We haven't even walked for nine hours yet. In fact, we haven't even walked for an hour!"

"Actually we have!" Travis argued. "We spent the night here."

"And we woke up at around four in the morning, so it's not even an hour yet."

"But almost…"

"There's a difference between 'an hour', and 'almost an hour', Travis dear. I wish you would keep that in mind."

Travis's eye twitched in annoyance. What did he ever do to deserve to have to put up with such an arrogant, spoiled princess? Sure, she's hot, but her attitude is absolutely infuriating.

At that moment, Katie stumbled, grabbing a lower branch to balance herself. Her face was flushed and she was sweating too much to fit the cool temperature of dawn.

"Are you really, REALLY sure you're okay?" Travis asked again.

Katie nodded and rubbed her face with a hand. "Just a little dizzy."

"You're blushing."

"I'm hot!"

Travis grinned. "I know you're hot; no need to tell me again. And however hot you are, you're not as hot as me."

The former princess rolled her eyes. "You're insufferable."

"So I've heard." Then, Travis's expression turned serious when Katie fell to her knees coughing.

 _'Spoiled princesses,'_ he thought with a sigh. _'No immune system at all.'_

Then he put a hand on her forehead, and drew away quickly. Her forehead was burning.

"Okay," Travis admitted. "You're hot alright."

Katie glared at him.

"No! I mean that you're… er… feverish!"

"I'm surprised you even know what that means."

"Hey," Travis protested indignantly. "Just because I never went to school doesn't mean that I have zero knowledge!"

"Then stop acting like you do!"

Travis threw his head back and gazed at the orange sky of dawn. "What," he groaned, "did I ever do to the devils to deserve meeting somebody like this?"

"You existed," Katie retorted, then fell into a coughing fit again. When she stopped coughing, she was panting and Travis could tell very well that she wouldn't be able to walk anymore.

Sighing, he picked her up, bridle-style.

To his surprise, Katie didn't protest, just wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Travis could feel her breath, coming out in short little gasps, on his neck, and the back of her dress had already soaked through with sweat. Even her hair was wet, plastering to her forehead.

Travis began walking quickly yet steadily through the forest, and that's how they spent the rest of their journey. When Travis tired, he would rest for awhile. When they came across a small stream, they drank, refilled their water bottles, and washed off as much of the dirt and sweat as they could. Travis ripped a small piece of silk off the hem of Katie's already-tattered dress, soaked it with water, and placed it on her forehead.

Travis walked for hours, and it was almost dark when he emerged from the forest, arriving at a small town.

Though the town was small, it had many occupants. The houses were squeezed together with small alleys and roads just big enough for two carriages to brush past each other. Lights from numerous cottages lit up the town like a Christmas tree, so it was bright as day. There weren't many public meeting places, with only one inn which has often been mistaken as a bar despite the sigh that said, 'INN' above the entrance.

Immediately, Travis entered the inn, now carrying Katie on his back, and was met by the smell of sweat and alcohol, along with loud, boisterous laughter and the clinking of glass cups.

Many men sat behind counters and small, round tables, laughing and drinking and obviously drunk. Travis wrinkled his nose at them in disgust.

Behind the counter, wiping glasses and taking orders was a young girl not much older than Travis. She might even be younger.

She was a pretty girl, and looks kind, with golden hair with darker streaks whose colors couldn't be identified in the poor lighting and eyes that constantly changed colors.

When Travis entered, carrying Katie, the girl looked up, smiling welcoming. Her expression changed into a look of worry when she saw the still feverish Katie and she hurried forward to greet Travis.

"Welcome! My name is Alina, though people usually call me Allie or Lina. You're choice. I'm the owner of this inn. I believe you're here to rest for the night, or maybe even more? Is she okay?" The last question was directed more at the unconscious Katie.

"Yes," Travis answered her, "we'd like a room. I'm not sure how long we'd be here, but I believe we'll leave when she gets better."

"She seems to have a very high fever," Allie noted.

Travis nodded. His shirt was soaked, and most of it isn't even his sweat.

"Is there anything I could help you carry? Like a bag or something?"

Travis shook his head and Allie began leading them towards an empty room. The room wasn't big, with only one window, a small desk, and one bed. ONE bed.

"Is there a room with erm… two beds?" Travis asked nervously.

Allie smiled a little sheepishly and shook her head. Travis groaned before laying Katie onto the small wooden bed.

"If there's anything you need, ring the bell!" Allie pointed to bell beside the bed before she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Travis sighed tiredly. "Now where the hell am _I_ supposed to sleep?"

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Alina "Allie" had gotten her inn from her deceased parents, who passed it down to her when she was merely eleven.

At first she was confused and scared. She thought the drunk men with loud strange laughter were scary, and she didn't know anything about finances and costs and what-not. The first year was the worst and the most chaotic.

But then, slowly, she got the hang of it. She learned to charge people for the right amount of money, and she's no longer scared of the drunken men. In fact, she found them amusing.

However, that was a mistake.

She had gotten so used to the group of imbiber men that she wasn't slightly fazed when a group of soldiers stumbled into the inn, already drunk. They slumped down onto chairs and stools, laughing and making jokes that doesn't make sense.

Immediately after they sat down, Allie slammed a couple bottles of beer and alcohol onto their table before walking away.

The soldiers drank and Allie refilled their cups. The usual routine.

But then, after a few hours of drinking, one of the soldiers stood up and staggered towards Allie, who was washing some glasses. He leaned onto the counter, hiccupping and smiling drunkenly.

"Hey pretty girl," he said, his voice slurring. Allie ignored him.

"Watcha doing?" he tried again. She continued ignoring him.

Then, he got angry. "Hey, don't you dare ignore me!" he shouted, grabbing a handful of her golden hair and yanking her head down. She cried out in pain. The soldier came around to the back of the counter and pressed Allie against the wall before slamming his lips onto hers. Allie's eyes widened and she desperately tried to push the soldier away, but he was too strong. Then, when the soldier began groping around under her skirt, she slapped him, causing him to stumble back, and she screamed as loud as she could.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

In the end, Travis slept on the floor, using his bag as a pillow.

It was one of the most comfortable places he had slept before in his life.

Years of being on the run had made Travis a light sleeper, so naturally, when he heard commotion outside, he woke up.

For a moment, he didn't hear much save for some scuffling, but then, a scream pierced through the air like an arrow. Travis shot up from where he lay on the ground, ran out to the bar, and was met by a horrible sight.

A large, obviously drunk soldier stood over Allie, whose dress had been torn to pieces that barely covered her body. She looked like she's on the verge of tears.

When she looked past the soldier and saw Travis, she sent him a pleading look that said 'SOS'. And Travis doubted that anyone would be able to resist that puppy-eye look.

"HEY YOU FAT BABOON!" he shouted. The soldier ignored him.

"OI, YOU! I'M TALKING TO YOU, YA'KNOW?" Finally, the soldier turned drunkenly to face Travis.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice slurring.

Travis waved dismissively. "Ah, not much. Just for you to leave that girl alone."

"So you can get her?" the soldier laughed. "Yeah right, like a scrawny little monkey like you could help her!"

Travis scowled. "Well, you're too fat to fit in the same bed as her." Allie flushed a brilliant red.

The soldier growled. "Is that an insult?"

"You just noticed?"

Suddenly, the soldier lunged, his sword in his hand. Travis was shorter and skinnier (or in simpler words, _scrawnier_ ), so he was much faster. He nimbly dodged the attack and ran to the other side of the room, snatching a sword from another soldier's belt.

Travis had never really done sword-fighting before, so he was slightly nervous; but the soldier gave him no time to hesitate when he attacked.

Travis blocked the blow the best he could, then leaped out of the way when his arms couldn't hold up anymore. He tried striking himself but the soldier parried easily.

They continued fighting…

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

It was all luck, really. And at the same time, he was unlucky.

About five minutes later, Travis was covered in scratches and cuts and he was exhausted. The soldier, on the other hand, looked like he was reading a book: relaxed, anticipating for the next move…

Then, Travis stabbed his (well, it's not really his…) sword forward, towards the soldier's chest. The soldier hadn't expected that, and to everybody's shock, the sword sank into his chest and came out on the other side. The soldier fell to the ground with a loud thump.

For a while, everything was silent. Everyone was staring in horror at either Travis or the dead soldier.

Then, the silence collapsed.

Allie sank to her knees, gasping. A bunch of people shouted "MURDERER!" but none of them dared come near Travis since the sword was still in his hand. Travis was staring transfixed at the soldier's body; then his gaze shifted to his trembling hands, which dropped the sword.

"Oh gods," he muttered. "I'm a murderer."

Surprisingly, Allie was the first to recover. She grabbed Travis's hand and led him to their room, where Katie remained asleep. When they were inside the room, she turned to him.

"Thank you," Allie said, genuinely grateful. "You saved me."

"I'm a murderer now," Travis muttered, more to himself than to her.

"I know," the young innkeeper nodded. "You have to run. I will not charge you for the room. After all, you haven't even spent a whole night here and you'd need your money to help your friend." She gestured at Katie. "Quick, kind stranger, you have to run. The men are searching the rooms right this instant for you. Follow the river. The closest town isn't far away: an hour's walk at most."

Travis nodded numbly and picked Katie up. He went to the window.

Just before he climbed out, he turned back and said to Allie, "Thank you."

And then he left.

 **This chapter didn't really turn out the way I planned it, but whatever: it's good enough.**

 **Please review!**


	4. Saved

**III**

Allie was right: the closest town wasn't far. But Travis had already been exhausted before he left, and soon, he found himself nodding off as he followed the river. Is sleeping while walking possible? Perhaps it is. And Travis would've tested it out if Katie hadn't been on his back. He would be able to swim just fine by himself, but with this dead weight? Maybe not.

And so the wanted thief trudged on miserably, hitching Katie up his back every few steps. Her breath tickled his ear and her chocolate brown hair stuck to his sweaty back. They weren't exactly in a comfortable position.

When Travis vaguely, sleepily recognized that the unusually bright stars in front of him weren't stars but in fact town lights, he almost broke down and began sobbing with relief. But for Katie's sake, he didn't. He has to keep it up for now.

As he entered the town however, he found him less lucky than he had expected.

Apparently this town was for the richer families, and the moment anybody looked out the window and saw the two ragged teenagers stumbling down the street, they slid closed their windows and curtains and bolted the doors. It was as if they were trying to avoid the plague.

If Travis was a bit more awake, he would've been offended, because as far as he knows, he doesn't have any virus. Maybe. Not yet, anyways.

But unfortunately, Travis is currently barely half-awake, and the only thing he could think of is sleep. Or more like, his mind had been possessed by sleep. He doesn't remember much of that night, just vague, blurry memories of knocking on doors or something, but in the end, Travis and Katie didn't end up in a room with available beds.

The next morning, when Travis woke up, at around noon, they were huddled in a cold, small alley, with nothing but a bottle of water, a thin blanket, three silver coins, and a dying princess.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Okay, maybe Katie isn't dying. Maybe she'll recover soon. Maybe her conditions aren't as bad as it seems… But that's a lot of maybes and Travis was losing hope. They only had three silvers, not enough to buy medicine.

Meanwhile, Katie's conditions seem to be getting worse. Her cheeks seem to be sunken, and her skin was tinged with gray. Her once healthy and thick brown hair was now brittle and dry, not to mention dirty. She was barely able to move, let alone talk, and spent ninety-eight percent of the days in a coma-like state.

It was rather frightening for Travis as he watched her grow worse. Desperation, mixed with another feeling he couldn't explain clawed at his chest and choked his throat. The pain was particularly prominent as he gazed down at Katie's once-beautiful face.

In this larger town, Travis continued doing what he was best at: stealing. He stole food, clothes, money… but it's still not enough. Katie wasn't getting better.

One particularly terrible day, it was raining, and Travis was doing his best as to not get Katie wet, but with only a few jackets, scarves, and what-not, he's not exactly succeeding.

"Travis," a raspy voice croaked. The wanted thief looked down to see Katie awake, her now dull green eyes half-closed and slightly unfocused. "Travis," she whispered again before sinking into a coughing fit.

Travis kneeled down next to her, unsure about what to do. In the end, he settled with saying, "Katie, you need to rest."

But Katie asked instead in between coughs, "Why… why are you… doing… all…"

"This?" Travis gestured around them, where numerous knick-knacks he had stolen was hidden. "It's because I don't want you to die, Katie."

"Why not?" Katie somehow managed to sound amused. She had temporarily gotten over her coughing fit, but her voice was even raspier than before. "We were always fighting… never getting along. So… why?"

Instead of answering, Travis grabbed one of the few dry blankets, took the soggy one covering Katie, and draped it around her. He propped up the large piece of metal he had found earlier, trying to keep Katie away from the rain as well as he could. "You need to rest," he repeated.

When Katie's eyes closed and her breathing evened, Travis finally answered her question.

"I don't know."

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Another miserable day gone, and possibly a step closer to death for Katie. Travis wondered how things have gotten to how it is now.

Just barely two weeks ago Connor was still alive and well and they had a safe hideout, filled with numerous treasures. And now here he was, on the run, more so than usual, with a wanted princess. And not to mention that Travis is falling in love with her, which he had vowed not to do.

I mean, who would want to date this super hot, super beautiful, super arrogant, spoiled, weak… _thing_?

But you can't choose your feelings.

Another miserable day arriving, and possibly another step closer to death for Katie…

"Is she okay?"

Travis was jerked out of his self-pitying thoughts by a concerned voice. He looked up to see a large, tall man with graying brown hair and soft blue eyes. For a moment, Travis could only gape: it had been ages since somebody had spoken civilly to him, but then he came back to his senses and said quickly, "Of course."

' _Not_ ,' he added mentally.

"Not," the man added as well. "She looks like she's dying. Why don't you bring her over to my place? You two could stay until she's better. We wouldn't mind."

"You wouldn't?" Travis gawked again. It had been ages since somebody had been so kind to them.

"No," the man confirmed. "And you look like you need a thorough scrubbing. Come on, let's go." He turned and began strolling out the alley as if taking in dying and homeless teenagers were part of his everyday schedule and were as normal as breathing.

Travis continued staring for a moment, before picking up Katie, looking slightly dazed.

He followed the man to a large house that fitted in perfectly with all the other houses around it. If the man hadn't brought him to it, Travis might have never even noticed it.

The man knocked twice and in less than ten seconds, the door was opened by young girl not much older than Travis. She was obviously the maid: her head was bowed humbly, strands of her golden hair falling out of her hastily made bun and into her face. She wore a plain blue skirt with brown flats and bowed when she saw the man.

"Sir," she murmured, then saw the two ragged teenagers: a girl unconscious and being held by a boy, who was peeking out from behind the man's large form. "Who are our guests today?"

The man didn't answer her question and ordered, "Prepare two beds for them. The girl is sick; she will need to be tended. And make sure to get a servant boy to scrub all the grime from his body. They've been starved and homeless for weeks. Thank you, Linda."

Linda, the servant girl, bowed her head again. "Of course, sir," she whispered before turning to Travis and Katie. "Please follow me."

She led them to a simple room with one, comfy-looking bed, a closet, and a desk. Travis laid Katie onto the bed, and watched as Linda checked her over.

"So… you work here?" Travis awkwardly tried to start a conversation.

Linda nodded silently.

"Do you know what that man is called? Your master, I mean."

"Nicholas Brown," the shy servant girl answered quietly. Then, before Travis could ask another question, she straightened and walked out the room, gesturing at him to follow her.

"A bath is being prepared for you," she told him as they traveled from one hallway to another. "Please do clean yourself up. You really do smell."

"Well, I'm sorry," Travis said, slightly miffed.

"Don't be. It's not your fault most people in this town are greedy rats who wouldn't help a single soul to save their own lives. Everyone deserves something nice once in a while."

Travis softened at her words. "What brought you here?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"My mother worked for the Browns, so I'm merely taking over her place."

"I see."

And then, they've arrived at the bathroom.

"Here's the bathroom," Linda said. "Cato should already be in there."

Assuming that Cato is a servant, Travis nodded and walked in.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

When he walked out of the bathroom, Travis felt like a completely different person: he had never been so clean before. His hair was untangled and combed, and his clothes had been changed, his old rags taken to be burnt, according to Cato.

Strolling through the hallways, Travis managed to find the room where Katie was kept. He checked up on her to find that she had also been cleaned. Now that her hair had been washed and combed, some of its original luster had seemed to return. Even though her cheeks were still slightly sunken and her complexion isn't exactly healthy, she looked a lot better. Baths can do amazing things.

Travis couldn't wait for the day Katie recovers, the day her beauty will begin to return. Heck, he even yearns for her arrogance and spoiled attitude to come back!

"You love her, don't you?" a quiet voice jerked Travis out of his daydreaming. He turned his head to find Linda standing next to him, also gazing down at Katie's sleeping face.

Travis shrugged in reply.

"You do," Linda said so firmly she almost sounded accusing. "The way you look at her…"

"What do you know about love anyways?" Travis asked softly. "You're barely older than me."

"Enough," Linda said, her voice slightly sad and wistful. "Dinner's ready, by the way. Go on ahead and fill yourself, honored guest. Do not worry about her, she'll be fine."

Travis smiled slightly at her before leaving the room and heading down to the dining room.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

When Travis had left, Linda walked to the desk beside the bed and gently blew out the two bright candles, plunging the room into darkness.

In the shadows, Linda smiled and began to leave the room.

Just before she was about to slip out the door, she looked back at Katie's peaceful expression, basked in silver from the moon. Her small smile stretched slightly wider.

"Love is truly powerful, Travis Stoll, Katie Gardner," she whispered before closing the door behind her, her soft words lingering in the dark room for a moment, just like the drifting smoke of the two snuffed-out candles.

 **Please Review!**


	5. Storm

**To be truthful, I'm kind of shocked and ashamed that none of you guys noticed this: in the last chapter, when they arrived at the Brown's home, they didn't introduce themselves yet. However, at the end of the chapter, Linda knew their indenties and that is suspicious. Only chocolatebacground seems to have had an inkling about it...**

 **Anyways, the chapter...**

 **IV**

"Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?" Nicholas Brown asked, cutting his steak while Travis tried to copy his actions. He had never seen such a big meal before in his life, and when he arrived at the dining room, he almost leapt onto the table and gulped down everything, including the table.

Thankfully, years of being a thief taught him patience and caution.

"You must be the visitor Nicholas was telling me about," fluttered a small, petite woman with dark red hair and dark blue eyes, both of which contrasted against her white skin.

She was later introduced as Caitlin Brown.

"Right," Travis took a deep breath and began lying. "My name is… Travon… Steel. I'm from the town an hour's walk downriver and I came from an orphanage. But the orphanage kind of got… taken down, so… Katherine and I came over to this town to try our luck. We weren't too successful, needless to say. And then Kate got sick, and everything just kept going downhill so… thanks for, you know, taking us in."

The Brown's nodded in sympathetically.

"Oh you poor children," Mrs. Brown sniffed, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a frilly pink handkerchief. Travis suppressed the urge to give her a strange look.

"We will take care of Katherine," Mr. Brown promised. "Do not worry. Linda is very talented in medical care."

Travis nodded his gratitude.

"And also," Mr. Brown added, "Since you grew up in an orphanage, I doubt you will have much manners, so there is no need for you to try pretending you do. We can all see how much pain it's causing you."

And Travis promptly began stuffing his face until everything on the table was gone and scraped clean.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Travis had never lived so luxuriously before. He didn't have to work to be fed and for the first time in his life, he slept in a real bed. A _bed_.

Katie was beginning to recover. Her cheeks were no longer as sunken, and her complexion not as gray. Her beauty was returning.

Travis spent most of his time either helping the servants or staying by Katie's bed, holding her hand, watching her as she slept. The Browns had also devoted themselves into trying to teach Travis how to read. They were doing surprisingly well.

"Travis?"

The wanted thief was jerked out of his thoughts by a feeble, gentle voice. He looked down to find Katie smiling up at him, her eyes regaining some of their former brightness. She squeezed his hand. "Did you get a haircut?" she asked, chuckling slightly.

"Yes," Travis admitted. "The barber didn't seem to like me."

Katie shook her head. "You look fine."

"Fine? You call this completely hot masterpiece _fine_?"

Though he would never admit it, Travis was thoroughly relieved when Katie rolled her eyes and mutter "hypocrite" under her breath, which annoyed Travis because he didn't know what that word mean. "You're the worst masterpiece I've ever seen."

Travis gasped and put a hand on his chest, feigning hurt. "How dare you?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? Anyways, where are we?" Katie glanced around the room.

Travis began explaining to her what happened while she was unconscious. "So now I'm Travon Steel, and you are Katherine Garter."

'Katherine' raised an eyebrow. "How original, _Travon_."

'Travon' waved dismissively. "Of course, Katherine. Expect nothing less."

"That was supposed to be an insult."

"Oh. Well that wasn't a very good insult."

Katie looked insulted. "Well, don't blame me. I'm sick; my mind isn't thinking clearly."

Now Travis was the one who rolled his eyes. "Excuses, excuses."

"Shut up!"

"Well at least now we know that you are on your way to recovery," he smirked at her, before kissing her hand mockingly, standing up, and leaving the room. As he stepped out he immediately bumped into Linda, who smiled.

"How is Ms. Katherine?" she inquired.

"Awesome!" Travis gave her a double thumbs-up before skipping down the hall like a little girl towards the library where Mrs. Brown would be waiting to teach him the alphabet.

Linda chuckled before entering Katie's room.

"Hello, I'm Linda," she introduced herself. "I'm glad to see you recovering so swiftly."

"Thank you for taking care of me," Katie smiled back. "If it wasn't for your help, I might never recover."

"Please don't think that way, Ms. Katherine," Linda said as she checked Katie's temperature. "You seem to be in a good condition now, Ms. Katherine, and I believe your health should be steady. Do you want a tour around the house? Mr. Travon is having reading lessons with Mrs. Brown."

"Travon, reading?" Katie laughed. "I just couldn't imagine it!"

"He's doing surprisingly well," Linda admitted. "I was shocked when I went into the library one day and caught him reading, 'A cat sat on the mat'."

"His expression must be hilarious."

"It is," the maid agreed. "His face was all scrunched up. It looked so weird!"

Katie laughed again as Linda carefully helped her to her feet. Stumbling a bit, the two girls made their way out the room and down the hallway towards the library. Through the door came Mrs. Brown's chirpy voice, "Big A, little a; What begins with A? Aunt Annie's alligator… A… a… A…"

Katie almost choked on nothing. "You are kidding me!"

Linda sighed. "They've been doing that for the past week and a half while you were unconscious. I've already got it memorized! 'Big B, little b; What begins with B? Barber, baby, bubbles and a bumblebee…'"

When they peeked into the library, they found Mrs. Brown standing over Travis, who looked like he was about to die. He saw them from the corner of his eye and mouthed to them desperately, _'Save me.'_

Katie mouthed back, _'Save yourself.'_ And she closed the door.

"You hungry?" Linda asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Food would be nice," Katie admitted and the two girls headed down to the kitchens.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Katie sighed contentedly. "Hot Chocolate is the best."

"Of course," Linda grinned. "What did you expect?"

At that moment, the kitchen door creaked open and an ashen-faced Travis staggered in. "Is that Hot Chocolate?" he asked feebly.

Katie smirked at him. "Yes, and it's _mine_."

"Greedy, selfish, arrogant…" Travis muttered under his breath.

"I see the lessons have proven fruitful!" Katie said cheerfully, causing Travis to groan.

"Can we please don't get started on that topic?"

"Big A, little a; What begins with A? Aunt Annie's alligator… A… a… A…" Katie and Linda chanted.

"Somebody kill me already…" he groaned.

"I volunteer!" Katie raised a hand, smiling innocently at him.

Linda patted her on the back. "I'll leave it to you to slaughter the pig and you leave it to me to make you the most delicious pork feast you will ever taste!"

 _'I doubt that,'_ Katie thought, mentally grimacing, but she put on a grin and said, "With pleasure!"

Travis groaned again.

Katie sighed. "What's wrong with you, sourpuss? Shouldn't you be happy that we have a roof above our heads for now?"

"Yes, I'm usually happy," Travis said. "That is, until I saw your face."

Katie gasped. "How dare you?!"

"How dare me," Travis repeated in a bored voice.

As the two of them began bickering, Linda stood by the side, smiling and shaking her head in amusement. "Nothing heals sickness better than true love," she murmured.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Another week passed calmly before the storm. And yes, the storm did strike.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Brown asked, concerned. "Shouldn't you stay and rest a bit more, Katherine?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Brown. I've been resting as much as I could over the last week," Katie smiled reassuringly.

"You two could stay and work for us, you know," Mr. Brown spoke up. "After all, you seemed to have become good friends with our other servants." Linda smiled at them.

Katie and Travis hesitated. If they leave, they might-no, they _would_ be homeless again. But if they stay, they'd have a roof over their heads and food in their stomach. However, there will always be the risk of their real identity being found out and if that happens, escaping might be difficult.

The two of them glanced at each other, unsure about what to do. Finally, Katie spoke up hesitantly. "We'll stay for a few days… perhaps."

Almost immediately, Linda dragged them back into the house. "Come on, stay!"

"Okay, okay…"

Mrs. Brown laughed and clapped her hands together. "Well, Travon, let's continue our tutoring lessons, shall we?"

Travis groaned.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

As I said before, calm before the storm.

A storm brings many things, both negative and positive. When a storm comes, there could be flooding. There could be destruction. But a storm also nurtures those that needs water and brings a new start for the things it had destroyed.

Three quick knocks sounded.

"Mr. Brown? It's Linda."

"Come in." Mr. Brown put down his papers as Linda slid into his office, looking slightly nervous.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, Sir… It's about Travon Steel and Katherine Garter."

"What about them?"

"They're not who you think they are."

"I'm sorry Linda, but I don't really understand what you are saying."

And now, Linda let a smile grace her lips. "Last time I checked, their prices are rather high."

 **Please Review!**


	6. A New Start

**V**

Travis should've guessed that their peace and luck wouldn't last long. Another week had passed before the end of the moon. That midnight, the skies were pitch black, not even the stars able to penetrate through the darkness. The only thing that would mark a person sneaking into a room would not be the shadowy silhouette of their figure, but the small sounds that they would make. And if that person was extra careful, no one would know that they had entered the room.

Luckily for Travis, that person had not been as careful, and he was suddenly woken by the muffled sounds of footsteps on the carpeted floor. His eyes shot open and for a moment, he was frozen on the amazingly wonderful bed, a gift that's truly from the gods…

Anyways, when he saw a flash in the dark, some metal surface reflecting the dimmest of lights, he immediately rolled to the side and off the bed, tangled in blankets.

Not a second too late either.

The person grunted as he pulled the knife out of the mattress. Travis quickly untangled himself from the masses of blankets and scrambled blindly towards the door.

Luckily, he wasn't the only one affected by the darkness. The person with the knife was also looking around, trying to find Travis. He caught sight of him and growling, sliced the knife towards Travis, who dodged it narrowly. Then, he rushed out the door.

Stumbling down the dark hallway, Travis managed to find Katie's room and barged in. However, when he reached the bed, he was horrified to see something dark staining the sheets: blood.

"Katie?!" he shouted desperately. When there was no answer, he was about to call again, just to make sure, when somebody grabbed his leg. Instinctively, he kicked out, and was met by a familiar yelp.

"Katie?"

"Yes, it's me, idiot. You just kicked me in the stomach." True, her voice did sound a little choked and wheezy.

"You're not dead," Travis said, relieved beyond compare.

"No, I'm not. The guy stabbed me in my arm and thought I was dead, that idiot. We have to get out of here!"

"You think I don't know that?" Travis shot back sarcastically. He quickly hauled Katie to her feet as she clambered out from under the bed, causing her to shriek in pain.

"Sorry," he muttered before sweeping Katie's feet out from under her and carrying in bridal style. Just at that moment, the person with the knife stumbled in.

"Come back here, wanted thief," he boomed, waving the knife around dangerously. With a jolt of shock and horror, Travis recognized the voice as Mr. Brown.

"Katie, wait here," he whispered as he gently put her down on the bed. Then, either very stupidly, or very bravely, Travis charged Mr. Brown.

He dodged the knife the best he can but still got cut once on his arm, then another time on his shoulder. Wincing and gritting his teeth against the pain, Travis dodged another attack and aimed a punch at Mr. Brown's face. There was a loud crack as his face connected with his nose, and a muffled _thud!_ as the knife fell to the floor.

Travis scooped it up quickly and ran back to Katie, who was already on her feet.

"Go, go, go!" Travis pushed her urgently. She stumbled towards the window.

"We're on the second floor!" Katie shouted.

"Whatever!" Travis handed the knife to Katie. "I'll jump first. After I jump, throw the knife down, then jump."

Before she could protest or argue, Travis was already out the window.

He rolled when he landed, so he was fine. Well, jumping from the second floor: not very dangerous. But still, kids, don't try it at home.

"Throw the knife down!" he shouted up at Katie, who looked down from the window with a mask of fear and horror. Travis could vaguely see her take a deep breath, raise her hand, and was about to throw the knife when she was yanked back into the house with a scream.

"Katie!" Travis shouted, but he was unable to do anything but watch from his place under the second floor balcony window, dread settling heavier and heavier into his stomach at every second that ticked away.

Then suddenly, there was a guttery scream, and Katie emerged at the window. With the barest of hesitation, she jumped, the knife still in her hand.

Miraculously, none of them got stabbed, though Travis did get grazed on the side of his stomach by the knife.

Immediately, the two of them stood and began running, down the cobblestone roads, and into the forest.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Katie didn't last long after they entered the forest. When the town had basically disappeared behind them, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, the knife still in her hands.

"Katie, are you okay?" Travis kneeled down next to her and was shocked to see the blood on her, though other than the wound on her arm which had already clotted, she had no injuries. Her hands and front were splattered with blood, and some clung onto her cheeks and hair. The knife in her trembling hands was stained with red as well.

"I killed him," she whispered, and the knife dropped to the ground as she buried her face into her bloodstained hands. "I killed him." She began sobbing as Travis just stared at her.

Of all the people that Travis guessed could commit murder… Katie was at the bottom of the list.

"A-are you sure he's dead?" Travis asked, his voice slightly stuttering. "I mean, h-he might still b-be alive, r-right?"

"I stabbed him in the throat," Katie bawled.

Travis gave a dry, humorless chuckle. "Oh he's dead all right," he muttered. Then he wrapped his arms comfortingly around the wanted princess, who, to his surprise, leaned into the embrace. "Well, Katie," he said with a feeble grin, "Welcome to the dark side."

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

After walking aimlessly through the whole night in the dark, dangerous forest, Travis and Katie stumbled across a town. This town was more normal looking, with normal looking people, and normal looking houses, unlike the towns before. They stayed in the forest for a while, near a river, while Katie washed the blood from her clothes and body and bandaged her arm with cloth she tore from the hem of her nightgown.

"You wait here," Travis told her when they noticed they slowly rising sun. "I'm going in town to see what I could get my hands on."

Katie nodded gratefully and smiled up at him. Gods, she's beautiful…

When Travis went in town, the first thing he did wasn't raid a store. Instead, he tried to find a job. Katie would have a heart attack if she heard that, so he decided to keep it as a secret from her.

Apparently the Fates decided to be kind to Travis today, because he got hired at the first place he tried. It was a bar.

You'd think that after the incident two towns ago, he would've been pretty dodgy around bars and inns, but obviously, you don't know Travis Stoll.

He was a man! He will never let fear take over his heart! You will never see him falter and run!

 _Yes Travis, dream on._

That's what Katie would say.

But anyways, he was lucky, and got a job at a bar, washing dirty cups with dirty rags that only made the dirty cups even dirtier, mopping the floor that was constantly dirty, no matter how many times he mopped it… Yeah, that kind of work. Imagine Travis Stoll, kind of thieves, doing servant work. Pretty imaginable, right? I agree.

It was nearing nightfall when he finally escaped the bar. He was certainly regretting doing something not illegal and getting a job. Why should he when he could steal? Maybe it was because he was tired of all the crimes he had already committed. Too much had happened already, everything starting the moment he met Katie.

 _Katie._

Oh gods, he had been gone for almost an entire day with Katie still in the forest! What if something bad had happened to her? What if she was hurt?

They more questions that ran through Travis's mind, the more panicky and anxious he became. And the more panicky and anxious he became, the faster he walked, until he was basically running towards the forest.

"Katie?!" he called, trying to keep the panic from his voice. It was getting dark fast and he could barely see past the trees now. "Katie!"

He rammed straight into the forest, and almost immediately slammed into someone. The two of them stumbled and fell, yelping. For a moment, they were just a groaning mass of limbs before they untangled themselves.

"Gods of Olympus, Travis," the person Travis had slammed into groaned, "I knew you were fat, but I didn't know you were _this_ fat."

"Katie? You're alive?" Travis would never admit that he was feeling relieved.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm alive!"

"Oh, right."

"You were gone for a long time though." Katie plucked a leaf out from Travis's head of messy brown curls.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"What did you get?"

Grinning, Travis held out a hand. Two gold coins lay gleaming on his rough palm. Katie's mouth dropped open and her eyes seem to pop out of their sockets.

"Where in Hades did you get _those_?"

"Well," Travis slipped the coins into his front pocket, still grinning, "the bar pays well."

For a moment, Katie just stared at him. Then, she continued staring at him. "Say, what?"

Travis blinked. That was not the reaction he had been expecting. "I said, the bar pays well."

Katie stared some more. "Wait… you mean…"

He nodded, grinning.

Then, Katie fainted.

Now that was the reaction he was looking for.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Katie didn't stay unconscious for long. In fact, she didn't really faint. She just pretended to faint.

"You do know that you were overreacting, right?" Travis asked.

"I knew full well that I was overreacting," she answered. "But I could tell that you wanted that reaction."

"You seem to know me rather well, your Majesty."

"And I wish I don't, you lowly thief."

The two of them glared at each other before breaking the glare at the same time and sighing in unison.

"Why can't we stay mad at each now?" Katie wondered to the dark red sky of dusk.

"I don't know," Travis also told the sky. "But I do miss the good old days…"

They sighed again.

"You got a job," Katie changed the subject with her conversation with the sky.

Travis chuckled. "I don't know about the sky, but I know that I did."

"Unbelievable."

"I know right."

"Oh right!" Katie suddenly shot to her feet. "Shoot, I almost forgot!"

"What?" Travis asked in bewilderment.

"Well," Katie smiled, "while you were busy at the bar, I wasn't just sitting here all day, you know! I did some stuff too."

"Like…?"

"I found us a cottage at the edge of the forest, not far from here. It's abandoned."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Great," Travis grinned as well. "Let's go!"

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

The cottage wasn't much: just a little… cottage.

It had wooden walls that don't look very sturdy, and the roof was of red tiles. The door was thin with a broken lock and the windows were cracked and dusty. Inside, Katie and Travis found that the cottage was only one room and it was stripped of any furniture save for a three legged table that is obviously supposed to have four legs.

"Oh, it's abandoned all right," Travis nodded somewhat grimly.

Cautiously, they made their way in, leaving behind prominent footsteps in the thick layer of dust that covered basically every surface of the cottage.

"You want us to live here," Travis asked in disbelief, though it turned out more like a statement than a question.

Katie nodded uncertainly. "Well, if we clean it up a little, it could a habitable."

"You mean basically rebuild the cottage."

She flinched. "Yeah…"

Travis shrugged. "Well, we've got money," he patted his pockets with a proud grin. "We could run back into town and get some supplies."

Katie nodded in agreement. "Yup, let's go."

And so the two of them went to town.

Apparently two gold coins actually isn't a lot, but they still managed to buy quite a lot of things. They managed to get their hands on a broom, a mop, a lot of candles, a loaf of bread for dinner and some blankets.

Very quickly and hastily, they cleaned the cottage up a little, ate a simple dinner, saving some bread for breakfast, laid the blankets down on the still slightly dusty floor and fell asleep almost immediately.

Next morning, Katie and Travis woke at dawn.

"I'll tidy this place up a bit more while you're at your job." Katie promised. Then, she shook her head slightly. "I still can't get used to saying those two words in one sentence."

Travis grinned and waved over his shoulder before leaving for another exhausting day at the bar. When he came back at sunset, he was amazed that Katie had kept her word and fixed the place up. Well, she had started to fix it, and he knew that it's going to take a long, long time.

Katie had basically torn down the whole cottage, leaving only the floorboards and started rebuilding it. Where she got all the lumber, bricks and cement was a mystery to Travis.

As if reading his mind, Katie answered him, "I flirted with the guy and convinced him to give me all those stuff."

"And he gave it to you."

"I can be charming when I want to."

"I don't doubt that," Travis muttered under his breath before asking in a louder voice, "So tonight we're supposed to sleep with no roof and walls only one foot tall?"

"Deal with it for another few days."

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Katie worked amazingly fast for somebody who was a spoiled little princess, and just as she had promised, the cottage was completely rebuilt after a few days. Now it had simple but sturdy wooden walls and a red tiled roof. Not much difference. But inside, Katie had managed to build two small rooms, along with a simple bathroom. They didn't have glass for the windows, but it doesn't really matter. They'll just save up until they could afford it.

"Katie, you are AWESOME!" Travis exclaimed when he came back from the bar one sunset and found the cottage completely rebuilt. He was so happy about no longer having to sleep without a roof that he had picked Katie up from her waist and spun her around in a circle while she shrieked and laughed. "Gods," he grinned when he put her down in front of him, his hands still around her waist, "I'm so happy I could kiss you!"

Then he realized what he said, and immediately, he withdrew. "I mean, I _could_. Not I _would_. You know, I'm just saying… I'm happy, no, I'm sorry, and well, you don't want me to kiss you… No, do you? I mean…" he stuttered, turning beet red and stumbling over his words awkwardly. "Like, you know-,"

He was suddenly cut off when Katie slammed her lips into his. For a moment, he just stood there, shell-shocked, then leaned into the kiss that he had longed for so long.

When they finally broke apart, Katie's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sparkling and bright. Travis continued staring at her, unable to take in the shock and pleasant surprise. When Katie saw him gaping at her with his mouth open and his eyes bugging out, giving him the appearance of a fish or a frog, she burst out laughing. "Oh, Travis, you look ridiculous!"

He continued gawking.

Katie smiled charmingly and pecked Travis's lips one more time. "Yes, I know. And you know what I also know?" She pulled the still slightly dazed Travis into the cottage. "I know that life would become easier now."

And then, she pulled him into a kiss again, pushing him down onto the layer of blankets that acted as their bed so she's laying on top of him.

And though Travis's brain was still kind of frozen, he knew that Katie was right. Life would be easier now. They just have to live on and never give up.

Never give up.

 **Oh gods, this chapter sucks. I'm very disappointed in this chapter, but couldn't find a way to rewrite it. Sigh...**


	7. Sacrifice

**Thank you everyone so much for all the reviews and encouragement! And so, even though I know it's kind of late, here's the new update: longer than usual. Enjoy!... Okay, maybe you won't enjoy it as much when you get to the end...**

 **VI**

Alas, you cannot find peace by avoiding life. Nor can you find peace by avoiding _fate_.

It's as if the Fates had decided: you can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once.

And Katie and Travis had made the mistake of counting on having both at once.

Almost a year had passed, and it was the best year of Katie and Travis's life. The town they had plopped into was a wonderful town, with warm, kind-hearted people who didn't hesitate to lend them a hand when they needed help. Well, Travis guessed that it's mainly because they didn't know who Katie and he were. They thought they are helping a young couple, namely Travon Steel and Katherine Garter, who was chased out of their homes after being discovered that they were in love and had escaped to this little, irrelevant, off-the-map town.

Never, not a single second in the year that 'Travon' and 'Katherine' had been here, did the occupants of the town suspect that the couple was actually Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner.

It was the best thing that had ever happened to the couple.

But they were foolish.

They should've known that Mrs. Brown would just let the murder of her husband slide.

While they were enjoying life in a random little town, Mrs. Brown was busy planning with her faithful maid Linda on how to get the two wanted fugitives strangled by Death. How to get revenge. And well, the Brown's weren't the poorest people. In fact, they were quite rich. And so, they hired a bunch of hunters.

When word got out that Mrs. Brown is hiring hunters, the king sent some soldiers to help because well, Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner all two small pains in his butt, especially the latter, being the daughter of the emperor he had overthrown.

When even more words got out that Travis and Katie are wanted not only for theft and treason, and also murder, the hunters for them increased. After all, murderers pay well, if you get what I mean.

Travis and Katie, however, were completely oblivious to the rumors spread about them.

It was one day that the soldiers and hunters arrived at that little town, asking about the two wanted criminals.

"Hm…" the baker frowned at the roughly sketched drawings of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner. "Well… I've seen some people who look like that… a couple, they are, who lives in a little cottage at the edge of the forest. But they are such nice people, y'know? They can't possibly be these criminals! We'd know if they are…"

"Hm…" the Blacksmith's daughter frowned at the roughly sketched drawings of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner. "That mighty sure looks like Kathy… but she's such a nice girl an' that beau of hers' so charming too…"

"Hm…" a thief living in a small alley frowned at the roughly sketched drawing of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner. "Tha's like Travon and Kathy, ain't no? Travon's likely: 'e 'as a quick fingers. But Kathy's a fine girl, she is. Ain't some murderer, she ain't, you gotta trust me wi' tha'."

The Captain nodded solemnly. "Thank you, good sir." Then he suddenly grabbed the thief's wrists and with a swift movement, tied them together behind his back. "And you're arrested for theft."

Ignoring the thief's protests and struggles, the Captain settled onto his black mare. "Soldiers!" he called behind his shoulder, "For the peace and unity of our kingdom, we shall arrest and execute Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner!"

Not the best speech, but the soldiers ate it up.

And with a roar, the soldiers stampeded towards the edge of the forest.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Katie and Travis were having an especially nice day. Travis had managed to get a day off, since he had earned five gold coins the night before. It was the most they had ever made in one night.

And so Katie, deciding to go out and by more supplies and a lot more food for the small feast they decided to have at the end of the day, took three gold coins and left. Just before she left, bundled in her new red cloak, she turned back to Travis, who looked up from where he was squinting at a book. She smiled and pressed two fingers to her lips, then pointed the two fingers at Travis, who returned the gesture.

It was a small thing; a symbol that belonged to only the two of them, something they had came up with for fun in their spare time.

Katie left the cottage, patting their newly bought cow Bessie on her large white head, and strolled down the road, enjoying the early spring view, humming a little song to herself. As she went down the cobblestone streets, she passed a large group of soldiers, but ignored them, thinking that they are only passing by.

When she arrived at the bakery, the baker kept looking at her strangely and somewhat suspiciously.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Mason?" Katie asked, concerned.

Mr. Mason, the baker, stared at her for another few moments before shaking his head slightly and asking, "You… you're not Katie Gardner, are you?"

Suddenly, the image of the group of soldiers entered her mind, and unconsciously, the straw basket in her hand dropped to the ground. Her eyes were wide with horror and dread, the pounding of her heart deafening in her ears. Travis… Oh gods, Travis.

Katie spun around and ran out the bakery, vaguely hearing the Mr. Mason calling after her.

 _Soldiers… Hunters… Travis…_

She flew down the streets, pushing people aside, ignoring their angry shouts and protests. She ran as fast and hard as she could, cursing how the cottage is so far from the village, cursing how the soldiers had horses and were much faster than her…

In the distance, she saw smoke rise into the air, curling towards the unpleasantly blue sky and fading into the clouds…

Oh gods…

"TRAVIS!" she screamed.

 **συγχωρούμαστε** **εγκλήματα**

Travis was trying to read a book of poems, after much nagging in Katie's part, when he smelled smoke. Heat suddenly seared his face, and when he looked up, he found himself surrounded by flames.

He dropped the book, coughing, eyes watering and began stumbling towards the door. He fumbled clumsily with the lock, bursting outside into the fresh air and sun just as the cottage, all of Katie's hard work, collapsed. His chest ached slightly at the sight of their ruined home. Bessie had disappeared, along with most of their chicken, though Pusheen the rat was still there, frantically running around in circles in front of the smoldering ruins.

And just when Travis thought things couldn't become even worse, he saw the soldiers.

Now when exactly did he become so optimistic he thought things couldn't become worse? Travis scolded himself and placed a sticky note on his mental bulletin board to remind himself to become more pessimistic in the future… If there's going to be a future.

For a long while, he just stared at the soldiers and the soldiers stared back.

Travis waved awkwardly. "Um… hi?" and then he ran. However, he was surrounded, so he ran towards the thinnest looking area of the circle trapping him. Dodging people, horses, and weapons, he miraculously made it out of the crowd and began running down the road. Almost immediately, he slammed into somebody.

Him and the person he slammed into stumbled and fell, yelping. For a moment, they were just a groaning mass of limbs before they untangled themselves.

"Gods of Olympus, Travis," the person Travis knocked into groaned, "I knew you were fat, but I didn't know you were _this_ fat."

Travis jumped up immediately. "RUN, KATIE!" he shouted. "Soldiers!"

"I know," Katie shouted frantically back. "The forest!"

And so the two of them plunged into the forest. Behind them, they could hear the thundering of hooves, and neighing of horses, and the shouting of men, accompanied by the clanging of weapons. And they were drawing considerably closer…

Travis was suddenly vividly reminded of the time when hunters were chasing after Connor and him. But this time… this time, he won't let the other one die, even if it kills himself. He won't let Katie die.

Behind him, Katie stumbled, but Travis continued pulling at her. "Go, go, go!" he shouted, pushing her frantically. She screamed as an arrow narrowly missed her.

They continued running desperately, never once faltering. But it wasn't enough: the horses were drawing closer still.

Suddenly, Katie skidded to a halt.

"What are you doing, Katie? We have to keep going!" Travis tugged on her sleeve, but the hopeless blank look on her face made him freeze. Slowly, he turned around and found himself surrounded completely by soldiers, their weapons all pointing towards him and Katie. There was no way out this time.

The soldiers and horses parted slightly, letting through a tall man with a French mustache on a tall black stallion.

"Judging from the way you two were running, it's quite apparent that you are actually Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner," the man's voice was deep, proud and confident. Travis hated him immediately. "We shall give you two choices," the man, apparently the leader of the soldiers, continued. "You two come with us quietly, and we will promise you a quick death, but if you fight or protest, there'll be a slow, painful hanging waiting for you. Understood?"

Travis and Katie didn't answer. Katie was trembling with fright. Travis could feel her shaking beside her. Travis however, was almost seeing red, because now, all roads lead to death, and he wasn't about to let Katie die. He's not going to lose something else.

When the Captain of the soldiers didn't see Travis and Katie do anything, he dismounted lazily, marching towards them with chains in his hand. "I-,"

It was as if something was controlling his body, taking over his mind. Without thinking, Travis suddenly charged, catching the Captain by surprise. He rammed his skull into the Captains face, at the same time grabbing his sword. Vaguely he could hear Katie scream, "STOP, TRAVIS!" behind him, but his body wouldn't listen, despite his mind's reluctance.

Travis didn't remember much. His brain was screaming, "STOP, YOU IDIOT!" but his body continued waving around the sword.

He remembered the feel of warm blood on his hands, face and shirt; he remembered the shouts of surprise, anger, and pain and the sound of falling bodies. He remembered the sound of Katie's cries and pleads.

But he didn't remember the look of horror on Katie's face as she watched Travis cut down soldier after soldier with the speed, agility, and skill of a master swordsman.

Travis couldn't stop, no matter how much he wants to. Something was controlling him- something that wants his life to grow even more unfortunate and painful. The only answer he could come up with was the Fates.

His mind was blank, as blank as white.

In the end, it was Katie who saved him, at the same time dooming both of them.

"Travis!" she pleaded one last time, "Travis, Connor wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want you to become a murderer." And then, she just collapsed, sobbing.

Travis froze, and the sword slid out of his grasp, falling with a muffled _thud_ to the muddy ground, carpeted by a layer of moss.

Everything was silent, as silent as Death.

Travis turned around slowly, finding Katie staring up at him, joy and relief in her leaf-green eyes.

Blood had stained the ground red, and bodies littered the clearing, but Travis wasn't disturbed by it, even though he knew that it was his fault. He held a shaky hand out towards Katie.

"I'm so sorry, Katie," he murmured. "I'm so sorry."

The former princess immediately rushed forward and trapped Travis in a tight hug. "Don't you ever do that again," she whispered, tears still falling, her heart still pounding. "Next time, don't do that again, please."

Travis nodded. "I won't, Katie. I'm sorry."

I know what you guys are all thinking right now: Wow, stupid, cliché reunion and apologies. I know, I understand. But don't worry. Because…

"Do you two really think that there will be a next time?" a deep, raspy voice growled. The couple let go of each other and looked around to find the Captain, surprisingly not dead, though covered with injuries, struggling to stand up.

Travis tensed.

"You think there'll be a next time?" he asked again, panting. "Well guess what, lovebirds: there won't be!"

You know, the typical villain words at the last stand.

From the ground, the Captain scooped up a crossbow, aiming it shakily.

Travis picked up a bow and arrow and aimed it as well. "Now the game is fair."

But just before the two of them fired, Katie suddenly ran between them, her arms held out as if trying to block something.

"What are you doing, Katie?" Travis asked, concerned, "Get out of the way!"

"No." Katie was as stubborn as ever. "I won't. I've got enough fighting and killing, Travis. Let's just get out of here."

Travis's bow and arrow lowered slightly, but he was still uncertain. Things can't be as simple as that, can it?

Of course not.

"Travis," Katie tried again. "Come on, let's just-," she suddenly froze in midsentence, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in shock. Then slowly, her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, the expression of shock and horror still on her face. An arrow was sticking out of her back, and behind her, the Captain was grinning triumphantly. "One down," he said smugly.

Travis, for a moment, was completely frozen. Everything was happening too fast. Then, with a roar of rage, he raised his bow once more, and the arrow sank into the muscular neck of the Captain, who dropped immediately.

But then, he couldn't go on. It was as if his soul had died with Katie, and he stumbled to her body, just staring at her. He gently closed her eyes and mouth so she looked asleep and he stayed by her side, hour after hour, watching her cold, frozen beauty.

His mind was empty.

Everything was blank, as blank as white.

He was so void of any thought and consciousness that he didn't notice the surge of soldiers that arrived in the clearing. He didn't feel anything when they chained him up and brought him to the main city. All that was left of him was an empty shell when they threw him into the dark prison cell, awaiting the day of his execution.

Everything was dark, as dark as night.

Everything was hazy, like early Dawn' breath.

He couldn't remember much: his mind was too fuzzy. He remembered the crowd of people before him, the weight of the chains on his wrist and ankles. He remembered the large, muscular man and the scratchy rope around his neck...

Everything was silent, silent as Death.

 **So... yeah. How was it...?**


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 **16 years later…**

Travis loved crowds. No, seriously, he does. In crowds, it's so easy to nick something and disappear, and the person would never notice you, especially if you're unnoticeable.

So when he saw the huge, huge crowd lining the streets, his heart almost exploded with joy.

Not wondering why everybody was gathering there, Travis was about to slip in when a loud trumpet sound suddenly pierced through the ears and into his eardrums.

More trumpets followed the first, along with the deep, booming of drums. Today isn't any festival or something, so Travis was completely baffled at what was happening on the streets. He tried to peek over the sea of heads, but (to his displeasure) he was too short. So, with the speed and agility of a monkey, Travis clambered up onto the roof of a bakery.

And finally he realized what all the fuss was about.

Riding on top of a gleaming white mare, atop a soft leather saddle, dressed in an elegant, breathtakingly beautiful green gown, a simple yet attractive crown around her head, was the princess herself.

She was the most beautiful thing Travis had ever seen.

Her smile was soft, gentle, kind, her dark brown hair flowed out behind her, blown by an inexistent wind, her leaf green eyes bright and filled with joy as she waved to the crowds, her head held high.

At the same time, Travis noticed, she was looking around the city.

Most of the stores her eyes barely skimmed over, but it seems like one had caught her eye. She halted her horse and dismounted gracefully, her gown dropping into place around her legs. The crowd made way for her as she entered Mr. Mason's bakery; the very bakery which Travis sat on.

The whole city was silent as the princess was inside, buying her bread and generously throwing out money.

Travis didn't budge. He was afraid that if he moved, the whole silence would crack. Not possible, but it sure did seem like it at the time.

Nobody moved a muscle.

Then, everyone simultaneously began cheering as the princess emerged from the bakery, a small bag of breads in her hand.

The princess handed the bag to her maid, who rode in a smaller, shabbier horse behind her, and mounted again.

As she was about to continue on her way, she looked back to the bakery again. And she saw Travis staring at her on the roof.

Katie's lips twitched into a small, loving smile: a genuine smile, and she pressed her index and middle finger gently to her lips, then pointed the two fingers at the boy above the bakery.

And smiling softly as well, Travis returned the gesture.

 **~The End~**

 **Yes, it's actually the end. Thanks for everybody who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I'm glad you guys liked my story. So... bye! And if you want me to write a story for a pairing, tell me! I'll gladly take the offer!**

 **Bye!**


End file.
